The 2026 Drought and Its Aftermath: Impact and Recovery in the Irish Outdoor Vegetable Sector
For growers, retailers and consolidators, policymakers, researchers and other stakeholders in the vegetable supply chain.
By Dermot Callaghan, Eoin Sweetman, Andy Whelton and William Deasy, Teagasc Horticulture Development Department
Download Publication (PDF)
The Irish field vegetable sector, including organic production, faces a significant challenge in managing the increases in risk and costs posed by climate change.
Ireland experienced its hottest summer on record in 2026, marking the second consecutive year in which the national summer temperature record has been broken. A severe, sharply concentrated drought through July and into August placed exceptional pressure on outdoor field vegetable production, with impacts varying enormously depending on one factor above all others: access to irrigation.
From the third week of August, the weather pattern broke down, rain returned across the country, and soil moisture has since recovered to close to normal levels for the time of year.
This update reviews what happened, where the sector now stands, and what the season implies for climate adaptation going forward.